


Believe Me

by MagpiePair



Category: INFINITE (Band)
Genre: Gen, Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, Jang Dongwoo-centric, POV Multiple, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-14
Updated: 2020-11-14
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:22:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27561451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagpiePair/pseuds/MagpiePair
Summary: They should have listened to him earlier. It takes Dongwoo getting violently ill for his bandmates to realize there is no hidden camera this time.
Relationships: Jang Dongwoo & Everyone, Jang Dongwoo & Kim Myungsoo | L, Jang Dongwoo & Kim Sunggyu, Jang Dongwoo & Lee Howon | Hoya, Jang Dongwoo & Lee Sungjong, Jang Dongwoo & Lee Sungyeol, Jang Dongwoo & Nam Woohyun
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	Believe Me

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the time once when the staff made Dongwoo pretend to be sick for a prank but also told the members about the prank:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTnSeEky9C8
> 
> Made me think, what if he really got sick but they thought he was faking? :O

Fire. 

Dongwoo feels like he is on fire.

He blinks rapidly, and as his eyes flutter open into consciousness, he is assaulted all at once with a heat as intense as a concert stage under a spotlight in an Indonesian summer. The feeling is met with matching waves of nausea and a spike of pain in his head that leaves him longing to fall back into a blissful slumber where he feels nothing.

“Look who finally joined the realm of the living. You were even harder to wake up than usual this morning.” Dongwoo struggles to place the voice that cuts through the fog in his brain. When he is able to focus, his eyes fall on the grinning face of Sungyeol.

“Now, come on. We’ve got an early variety program,” Woohyun calls from beside him. The duo seem satisfied with Dongwoo’s state of wakefulness, as they exit the room soon after.

Dongwoo thinks he knows why he was so hard to wake up this morning. He is well and truly sick. He groans at the splitting pain in his forehead and the heaviness of his body. He scrubs a hand over his face, feeling more than seeing the redness of his cheeks. He can’t remember the last time he felt this bad. All he wants to do is go back to bed. 

But they have a full day ahead of them. 

He’ll let them know how he’s feeling. He has to. Even if it doesn’t earn him a break from their schedules, they deserve an explanation for why he will surely be off all day.

...

“Yeah, right, Dongwoo.” 

Dongwoo stares blankly. This isn’t quite the reaction he expected after telling Sunggyu of his symptoms. Exasperation, sure. Maybe some concern. Not... dismissal.

“Uh...,” he starts, trying to form an intelligent reply. But he is cut off by a coughing fit.

The others are gathered around too, a fact Dongwoo had hardly recognized in his sick state. Howon says, “Come on, how dumb do you think we are? You can’t pull one over on us.”

Dongwoo clears his throat, although his voice still comes out scratchy. “I’m not... TRYING to-” He stops himself at the doubt in each of their gazes. The sickness prank that production staff forced him into comes back to him then, as if haunting him. When he had done his level best to pretend he was feeling ill, to absolutely no avail. Fighting past his stomach swimming and the chills that make his body shiver, somehow making themselves at home alongside the heat from his fever, he starts again. “Look, I know I can’t fool you guys. I only tried that time because they made me, and I definitely didn’t enjoy it. And do you see any cameras around? I’m really not feeling well.”

He can see they don’t believe him from how Sungjong rolls his eyes, how Myungsoo crosses his arms and walks away. 

He’s actually sick this time, but it doesn’t look like he’ll be gaining any sympathy or breaks from his teammates. He’ll just have to push through what is shaping up to be a difficult, terrible day on his own.

\--

Myungsoo watches as Dongwoo stumbles around their dorm getting ready. He eyes him in contemplation, never tearing his gaze away. 

Myungsoo had not been there on the day of Dongwoo’s sick prank; instead, his members had regaled him with many teasing tales of Dongwoo’s escapades. They were always careful, considerate when it came to stories that involved times when he was gone, never wanting him to feel left out. Of course, Myungsoo enjoyed hearing about their previous adventures, and while he always means to watch the clips, he hasn’t gotten around to it yet.

When Dongwoo comes to a halt nearby on the couch and flops onto it, Myungsoo ambles over. He ruffles his hand through Dongwoo’s fluffy hair, and he thinks he must imagine the mild heat he feels radiating off of the other. 

After all, everyone else seems so convinced that Dongwoo is faking. They were the ones who were around for Dongwoo’s theatrics the other time; Myungsoo supposes they would know Dongwoo’s behavior when he is acting pretend-sick. Or maybe Dongwoo really is feeling just a bit crummy, and he sees it as his opportunity to dupe them good this time. 

Dongwoo looks up at Myungsoo, who has yet to leave his side after the hair ruffling. Myungsoo tells him, “You should probably cut it out before Sunggyu gets annoyed.”

Dongwoo’s expression falls at that, and Myungsoo doesn’t have time to analyze an explanation for the look on his face. He also doesn’t know why the disappointment in Dongwoo’s eyes causes a pang in his own chest.

He’ll have to figure that out later, because for now, their management is rushing them out the door. He spares a final glance at Dongwoo as they are ushered into the car. He hopes that everything is fine. 

\--

Sunggyu doesn’t hear from Dongwoo again for most of the morning. In fact, he’s almost suspiciously quiet during the interview and game portions of their variety appearance. 

It is when their dance training approaches that Dongwoo approaches him again. Seeming hesitant, the other pulls him aside. “I’m not doing so good. I don’t know how well I’ll do during practice…” He trails off. 

Sunggyu sighs. So Dongwoo hasn’t given up on this. Even though none of them have given his prank a scrap of attention, not even giving him the time of day when he coughs or clutches at his stomach as though in pain. 

He feels barely in control of how harsh and stressed his voice sounds when he responds, “This isn’t the time for this, you know? We’re really busy today.”

Dongwoo looks even more reluctant at this, practically demoralized. He is suddenly fidgeting with his hands and glancing at the corners of the room. Sunggyu realizes he’s never seen him like this. “I know! It’s just that... well-” He cuts himself off, must realize it’s fruitless from whatever he is seeing in Sunggyu’s face. 

Sunggyu attempts to harden his heart at the frankly pitiful expression on Dongwoo’s face. He is the leader- he can’t go bending every time one of them tries to weasel out of schedules. Even if Dongwoo hasn’t done such a thing before. 

Instead, he claps him on the back and praises, “Nice try. Hey, kudos on your acting skills, though. They’ve really improved since last time.”

He sends him off to practice just like that, trying to ignore the pit in his stomach. He pushes down the feeling, however, the sinking pressure inside, because they have a long day ahead of them. Dongwoo is fine. They all are. Everything will be fine.

\--

Sungjong hates seeing his hyung in pain, even if it is fake. 

Every time he looks at Dongwoo, the other is grimacing or swaying on his feet as though entirely out of it. It is enough to make Sungjong want to run to him, wrap him in a blanket, and sit him down on a big bed. But if he does that, he loses, and draws the ire of their trainers and the merciless teasing of his hyung-deul for all time. 

Instead, he tries to stay strong by avoiding Dongwoo whenever he tries to get the maknae’s attention. He stays across the room from him, turning to another conversation when Dongwoo speaks or approaches. He pretends not to see the flash of hurt in his eyes, even though he thinks the distance he is creating between them is causing himself similar hurt. He misses his 4D brother the entire practice long.

From the other side of the studio hall, he raises his fists in an encouraging gesture. “Fighting!” he mouths. 

Dongwoo seems lightly cheered by this, but then he is falling too hard into a chair again. Sungjong frowns. 

Dongwoo /is/ fine... right? 

\--

Sungyeol is a very physical person. This is not new information to any of his groupmates, as they are often on the receiving end of his lanky body being thrown onto them when he is exhausted. 

This is one such time. Sungyeol jumps onto Myungsoo’s back, and when his self-appointed rival pushes him off, as do Sungjong and Sunggyu, he spots his next target. He giggles to himself as he runs up and leans his entire weight against Dongwoo.

“Oof!” The other cries out. They topple to the ground, and Sungyeol’s eyebrows furrow in confusion when he sees Dongwoo’s face. He hadn’t hit him /that/ hard for Dongwoo to look like he is barely keeping it together. 

Then again, the other does seem kind of frail today. His mind goes back to Dongwoo’s attempted sickness prank from earlier that morning. Dongwoo has committed to the bit, seeming worse for wear through each of their activities and particularly drained after their latest dance. 

Sungyeol finds himself muttering a small sorry, climbing off Dongwoo, and offering a hand to help him up. Even though it’s silly. Because obviously there’s nothing wrong with the other, right? He’s feeling just fine...

\--

Woohyun is closest to him when it happens. He gasps involuntarily when he sees it out of the corner of his eye.

During their dance, Dongwoo falls to his knees and violently retches. 

The puddle on the floor near Woohyun suddenly becomes the least of his concerns, however, when he spots Dongwoo who is rocking forward on his hands and knees. 

Dongwoo is sweating bullets and making the most pained little whimpering sounds in between gags. Woohyun is terrified. He’s never seen him this way- never seen /anyone/ this way. 

He is by his side before he knows what is happening, and the others are crowding him as well. When he places a hand on Dongwoo’s chest, he can feel the stuttering breaths, how painful it must be for the other to even breathe. Christ, he feels like a furnace. How had they let him go outside, let alone dance for hours, while being an /oven/?? He swallows down the guilt. Dongwoo needs them right now. 

“Back up!” Woohyun shouts at his members. They each take only one step back, hardly creating any more space at all, even as Dongwoo vomits once again. Woohyun looks up to see their own expressions matching how he is sure he must look: ashamed, worried, afraid. 

Sunggyu speaks quietly then. “...He’s sick.” 

Dongwoo lets out a weak laugh that cuts off into a sort of choking sound. “No shit,” Sungjong replies. No one calls out Sungjong for disrespectful language, and Woohyun’s thumb is already on speed-dial to their manager. 

\--

Howon sits chastising himself in a chair he has pulled up to Dongwoo’s bedside.

One panicked trip to the doctor later where they were informed that all Dongwoo needed was plenty of rest (a.k.a what he had asked for in the first place, only to be repeatedly denied), and they were all feeling appropriately guilty. Okay, so the doctor also said he needed medicine and a cooling pad to keep his fever down. That much, Howon could do. 

“We’re really sorry, Dongwoo,” Myungsoo says for perhaps the thousandth time, practically in unison with Sungyeol who says it moments after him. Almost as if in competition. The rest of the group echoes the sentiment, the word “sorry” painting the walls in Dongwoo’s bedroom. They have all been falling over themselves apologizing. 

Howon feels especially crappy because he had seen Dongwoo getting worse over the course of the day, but he had written it off as... what, Dongwoo’s oh-so-amazing acting skills? Some ill-thought-out attempt at a prank during a busy schedule? He should have known better. Howon really has no good excuse for his behavior. None of them do. 

Howon hates that they let it get to this point because they wouldn’t listen to him. He would rather have gotten fooled and been wrong. He would rather Dongwoo trick him and gloat about it for the next five years then ever see him pushed so far and looking so helpless again.

Howon figures it doesn’t hurt to add his own “sorry” to the chorus. Even if it won’t erase the hours they spent ignoring, dismissing, disbelieving him as they forced him through schedules that made him worse. Even if it won’t make Dongwoo feel any better. At least it lifts some of the weight on Howon’s own chest. At least it lets Dongwoo know that they regret it, that they know how they treated him was wrong and hopefully lets Dongwoo know they will never do it again. After his apology, Howon adds in a small voice, “Do you think you can forgive us?”

Dongwoo huffs and turns away from them in his bed. Even at the rejection, Howon smiles a little at the cute gesture. He knows Dongwoo can’t hold a grudge for long. They will all just have to do a lot of groveling first.

\-- 

Dongwoo sighs as he takes another look at all his brothers gathered around him. He is still pouting at how they treated him earlier- he thinks he’s entitled to that much after the day he’s had, and how he was sent to his knees throwing up. He’s still a little embarrassed by that, and sorry to whoever had to clean that up.

But he knows it’s not their fault he got sick. And they’ve been very apologetic, waiting on him hand and foot. 

Howon and Woohyun each give him gentle, reassuring touches. Sungjong’s little gestures include fluffing his pillow, fetching his water, asking after his condition every few minutes. This behavior might be overbearing to some, but Dongwoo preens under the care of his youngest brother. He doesn’t need grand gestures when he’s sick- just comfort and indications of care to help him through. Even if it’s a little late, he savors it. 

After all, if he /hadn’t/ gone through all this, they would still be at dance practice and he’d be alone in the dorm recovering. They only cut the schedules short for all of them because of his... ‘incident.’ 

He expresses his gratitude in any way he can. When Myungsoo replaces the wet cloth on his forehead for a cooler one, he states with a rough, gravely voice, “thank you.” Then, he groans. “My voice is gone...,” he whines. 

“So rest it,” Sungyeol responds, sounding amused.

“What good am I if I can’t rap?” 

Sunggyu flicks his forehead, causing Dongwoo to whine further. “Being a rapper doesn’t define you.”

“And your voice will be back, you drama queen,” Howon adds.

Dongwoo feels so surrounded by love that he can’t complain too much. Now that they believe him, they won’t let him out of their sight and treat him with the tenderest care.

“You went through so much you didn’t have to because we didn’t listen...” Sunggyu states sadly. 

Dongwoo grabs his hand. He is past the point of caring if he spreads his sickness to the others; he is sure it is probably inevitable at this point. “Hey, what’s done is done, yeah? Give me a shoulder massage and we’ll call it even.”

They all laugh, but Sunggyu says, “aye-aye, sir,” and gets to work. Past the haze in his head and the heat in his body, Dongwoo smiles and laughs too. Because he’s as fine as he can be right now, and it’s all thanks to his brothers.


End file.
